Rebekah Elmaloglou

Last updated

Rebekah Elmaloglou
Born
Rebekah Sophie Elmaloglou

(1974-01-23) 23 January 1974 (age 50)
OccupationActress
Years active1984–present
Known for Neighbours (TV series) as Terese Willis
Home and Away (TV series) as Sophie Simpson
Spouse
Kane Baker
(m. 2009)
Children1
Relatives Sebastian Elmaloglou (brother)
Judi Dench (cousin)
Jeffery Dench (cousin)

Rebekah Sophie Elmaloglou (born 23 January 1974) is an Australian actress, known for her roles as teenage tearaway Sophie Simpson on Home and Away and Terese Willis on Neighbours . She also made guest appearances in E Street , A Country Practice and Pacific Drive . Her film appearances include Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985), Princess Kate (1988) and The Sum of Us (1994).

Contents

Early life

Elmaloglou was born at the Royal Women's Hospital, Paddington, New South Wales, to a Greek father, Gregory, who was principal cello in the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, and an English mother, Theresa, who was a kindergarten teacher. Her father was born in France. [1] Elmaloglou left school at the age of 15 and trained at the Keane Kids studios in Sydney, [2] where she studied acting, singing and dancing.

Career

Elmaloglou has appeared in numerous roles in various programmes and films such as Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985), Five Times Dizzy (1986), Jocelyn Moorhouse' debut film The Siege of Barton's Bathroom (1986), [3] Relatives, In Too Deep (also known as Mack the Knife) (1989) and Limbo [4] plus the 1988 telemovie Princess Kate . In 1989, she had a 2-week guest stint as asthmatic street-kid Simone in E Street and immediately followed this, from 1990 until 1993, with a regular role in Home and Away as Sophie Simpson. Since this show, Elmaloglou has appeared in the Australian film The Sum of Us (1994) and guest starred in A Country Practice as Christine Agapitos. In 1994 she appeared on the stage at the Sydney Opera House in Caravan. [5]

She relished filming The Sum of Us saying "your best work comes out of a film and you feel that you can really show your talents as an actress". [4] She also compared filming this to when she was on Home and Away:

"You feel like you're really acting and really doing something when you do film because in television you're grinding your way through it. The moment you finish one script you're on to another one and it just goes on and on and on. (In film) you have more time to work with it – not at it – and you spend more time talking to the director about the role." [4]

In 1993, she went to the UK for a production of Aladdin . [4] Elmaloglou appeared in Pacific Drive in 1996, as a victim of incest, who dices with death when she turns to drugs. She appeared in an episode of Life Support as a "publicity whore". The actress later posed naked in a Gothic-themed set of photographs for the Australian celebrity nude art magazine Black+White . In a 1995 interview, she stated that she did not receive the offers she had anticipated after leaving Home and Away and that finding work was a struggle.

On 7 February 2013, it was announced that Elmaloglou had joined the cast of Neighbours as Terese Willis, a role she remained in until the show's final episode on 28 July 2022. [6] [7] Elmaloglou continued in the part when Neighbours rebooted in 2023.

Personal life

Dame Judi Dench is a cousin. [1] Two of Elmaloglou's brothers, Dominic and Sebastian Elmaloglou, have also appeared on Home and Away , plus she has a brother who is a crew member on the show'. [8]

When working on Home and Away (from 1990 to 1993), Elmaloglou frequently had panic attacks. [9] She was later diagnosed with obsessive–compulsive disorder and has been open about her condition. [10]

Elmaloglou has been married to Kane Baker since 2009, and together they have a son, Kai, born in 2008. [11] [12]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleType
1985 Lorca and the Outlaws (aka 'Starship")Little GirlFeature film
1985 Relatives RebeccaFeature film
1985 Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome GathererFeature film
1986The Siege of Barton's BathroomShort film
1988 Touch The Sun: Princess Kate May MathiesonTV film
1988 Fragments of War: The Story of Damien Parer HelenaTV film
1990 In Too Deep JojoFeature film
1993 Love in Limbo Feature film
1994 The Sum of Us Jenny JohnsonFeature film
1995 Back of Beyond Susan MacGregorFeature film
2007U-TurnCar Chick 1Short film

Television

YearTitleRoleType
1986Professor Poopsnaggle and His Flying ZepplinChildTV series, 1 episode
1986 Five Times Dizzy Mareka NikakisTV series, 12 episodes
1987; 1993 A Country Practice Belinda PerkinsTV series, 2 episodes
1988 Emma: Queen of the South Seas Young EmmaTV miniseries, 2 episodes
1989 E Street SimoneTV series, 4 episodes
1991 Adventures on Kythera TikTV series, 13 episodes
1991–1993, 2005 Home and Away Sophie Simpson TV series, 506 episodes
1991 Celebrity Family Feud Herself - Contestant with Home And Away cast: Emily Symons, Mat Stevenson & Greg BensonTV series, 1 episode "Home And Away v The Four Kinsmen"
1991; 1993 Tonight Live with Steve Vizard GuestTV series, 2 episodes
1991 Big Square Eye GuestTV series, 1 episode
1991; 1992 The Main Event GuestTV series, 2 episodes
1992; 1993 Vidiot GuestTV series, 1 episode
1992Home and AerobicsHerselfVideo
1992Chance and CoincidenceHerselfTV special
1992 The Big Breakfast GuestTV series, 2 episodes
1993 Going Live! GuestTV series, 1 episode
1993 Sale of the Century ContestantTV series, 1 episode
1993 A Country Practice Christina AgapitosTV series, 5 episodes
1993; 1994Live It UpGuestTV series, 2 episodes
1994 G.P. LeanneTV series, 1 episode
1994 Paradise Beach Karen WolfeTV series, 1 episode
1994 Burke's Backyard Celebrity gardenerTV series, 1 episode
1994 The Great Outdoors GuestTV series, 1 episode
1994; 1997 Good Morning Australia HerselfTV series, 3 episodes
1994Day to DayHerselfTV series, 1 episode
1994 Midday with Derryn Hinch GuestTV series, 1 episode
1994 At Home GuestTV series, 1 episode
1994 Vidiot GuestTV series, 1 episode
1994 Level 23 GuestTV series, 1 episode
1994 Ten News HerselfTV series, 1 episode
1995Behind the WheelHerselfTV series, 1 episode
1995Funniest PeopleGuestTV series, 1 episode
1996 Pacific Drive Eliza GarlandTV series, 1 episode
1997Nude Night SurfingGuestTV special
1997 Good Morning Australia GuestTV series, 2 episodes
1997 A Current Affair GuestTV series, 1 episode
1997 In Melbourne Tonight GuestTV series, 1 episode
1997Monday to FridayHerselfTV series, 1 episode
1998 Midday with Kerri-Anne GuestTV series, 1 episode
1998 Battle of the Sexes ContestantTV series, 1 episode
1999 Water Rats Christina ManganoTV series, 1 episode
2000; 2001 All Saints Justine AddisonTV series, 2 episodes
2002 The Best of Aussie Dramas HerselfTV special
2003 Life Support Penne's publicity partnerTV series, 1 episode
2005 Home and Away Sophie Simpson TV series, 1 episode
2012 The Morning Show HerselfTV series, 1 episode
2013–Present Neighbours Terese Willis TV series, 1386 episodes
2014 The Wright Stuff Guest PanelistTV series, 1 episode
2014 Pointless: Celebrity Special ContestantTV series, 1 episode
2016 Neighbours: Summer Series Terese Willis TV series, 1 episode
2017 Neighbours: Pipe Up Terese Willis TV miniseries, 1 episode
2017 Neighbours vs. Time Travel Terese Willis TV miniseries, 2 episodes
2018Endless Summer: 30 Years of Home and Away Sophie Simpson TV movie
2019; 2022 Loose Women HerselfTV series, 2 episodes
2022 Studio 10 HerselfTV series, 2 episodes
2022 Neighbours: End of the RoadHerself / Terese WillisTV special
2022 The Project HerselfTV series, 1 episode
2023 Studio 10 Herself (with Stefan Dennis)TV series, 2 episodes
202310 News FirstHerself - GuestTV series, 1 episode
2023 This Morning Herself - Guest & Stefan DennisTV series, 1 episode, UK
2023 Studio 10 Herself & Annie JonesTV series, 1 episode
2023Neighbours: The Next ChapterTerese WillisTV series

Theatre

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References

  1. 1 2 Gilmore, Heath (7 May 1994). "Rebekah Plays The Waiting". The Sun-Herald . Fairfax Media. p. 143. Archived from the original on 5 June 2012. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
  2. "Home". keanekids.com.
  3. Leerentveld, Erwin (6 July 2022). "Bartons on the Web". Bartons on the Web. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 4 TV Week magazine, 13 November 1993, pages 12–13. "She's Alright Jack" written by Fiona Wingett.
  5. "Theatre Directory". The Sydney Morning Herald. 29 July 1994.
  6. Kilkelly, Daniel (7 February 2013). "'Neighbours' to introduce another new family". Digital Spy . Hearst Magazines UK . Retrieved 7 February 2013.
  7. "Olympia Valance and Rebekah Elmaloglou farewell Neighbours". Greek Herald. 29 July 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
  8. "Neighbours star on Home and Away response to show axe". Digital Spy . 17 July 2022.
  9. Browne, Rachel (1 July 1995). "The soapie scrapheap". The Sun-Herald . Fairfax Media . Retrieved 7 June 2011.
  10. Kent, Simon (8 March 1998). "The Diary". The Sun-Herald . Fairfax Media. p. 26. Retrieved 7 June 2011.
  11. "Rebekah's joy: I'm having a baby". Woman's Day. 21 April 2008. Archived from the original on 25 April 2008. Retrieved 23 May 2008.
  12. "Rebekah's gorgeous garden wedding". Woman's Day. 29 June 2009. Archived from the original on 4 August 2009. Retrieved 22 August 2009.